Iowa has a tough combination of a governor and legislative majority who are anti-public schools and anti-teacher but at the same time, a department of education that marches to the Common Core drum and has managed to dumb down the standards even further. Topics like Law of Sines and Law of Cosines do not appear in any state standards in Iowa. Polynomial division is no longer included in the algebra standards. I think these people feel that if we pare down the standards further and teach them “in depth” via problem-based programs like “Illustrative Mathematics,” somehow students will do so much better.
Our Republican legislature has championed a voucher system in Iowa, funneling public money to private schools, most of which are religious. Legislators have accused teachers of having “a sinister agenda” and they accuse that public schools are encouraging students to change gender identity. They have made wild accusations that public schools are putting out litter boxes for children who wish to identify as cats. Books are being banned and history is supposed to be taught so as not to shed anything but a positive light on our “white” heritage.
In Iowa City, there has been a large influx of families from Chicago (and other countries, for that matter) in the last several decades, made possible in part by available low-income housing. Schools have adjusted to many demographic changes, and they have come under fire, accused of being racist and of not having enough minorities represented in higher level math classes. Data on disciplinary actions have been carefully monitored, making sure that disproportionate numbers of students of color are not being disciplined. Kids are dialed in to this and know that they can misbehave with little or no consequence. Administrators do not back up teachers when they have students who will not cooperate, sometimes fearing being accused of racism. Test retakes are made available, and it is not unusual for students to pile into classrooms at the end of terms to retake previously failed or incomplete (not taken) tests or turn in homework that was due weeks ago. In junior highs, no homework is assigned.
The once enviable school system is now scorned by people around the state. In addition, University of Iowa faculty are being micromanaged and monitored by the state board of regents, lest they say or do anything whatsoever that could be interpreted as supportive of DEI, an initiative which admittedly has not had the success that was intended. A new Center of Intellectual Freedom has been developed at The University of Iowa, with the mission of “ensuring scholarship of American Civics through academic research and the pursuit of knowledge.” It has become controversial, as almost no students signed up for its course offerings. Now Iowa lawmakers have made these courses (six hours) a graduation requirement at The University of Iowa. As a Cedar Rapids television station reported,
“Our message is simple—the status quo in higher education is over. Iowa will now have a core curriculum that brings the focus back to a true liberal arts education,” said Rep. Taylor Collins (R-Mediapolis), chair of the House Committee on Higher Education. “Instead of absurd courses in magic or witchcraft, Iowa students will now get back to the basics – understanding the core pillars of our great nation. We look forward to working with the Board of Regents and the university provosts over the next two years as we implement these reforms.”
I checked the catalog and could find no courses on magic or witchcraft, but people listen to and believe this nonsense from lawmakers.
Because Iowa has transformed into a Red state, people in rural areas are very mistrusting of places like Iowa City, a mostly Blue community. Imagine the stress of being a math teacher in Iowa City with high standards and a very strong track record of success. Now you are being told by your state department of education and local administrators that you aren’t teaching right and that you need to be more “student-centered” and have students think their way through complex problems on their own (meaning, with little to no instruction — just work in a group and all will be good). My colleagues contact me fairly often to vent. All I can do is be supportive.
We need a hard reboot. The knowledge of civics that Iowa legislators feel is missing in the education of students at The University of Iowa should be taught in high schools. Not all students in Iowa attend The University of Iowa, so that is not the place to impose civics education. I will further go out on a limb to say that we need to get away from thinking that everyone should go to college, and get serious about preparing students with either strong college prep (no college remediation necessary) or vocational/trade school. Yes, this idea has been unpopular, but we are neither doing a good job of preparing our K-12 students for college nor for the workplace. We need to do our very best in promoting our most promising students and we also need to do our very best to prepare others for survival in the work force – high expectations of completion of work, respect for and adherence to deadlines, importance of attendance and punctuality, and mastery of skills as demonstrated in daily work and on assessments. We can and should do much, much better.
Joye Walker, now retired, was chair of the Iowa City Schools Mathematics Department.
Iowa City, Iowa is home to the University of Iowa, the Iowa Testing Programs, ACT,
and Pearson testing.
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